Month: January 2019

No matter if you’ve lived in the San Diego area for a while or if you are just popping into town for a visit with the family, you may not be familiar with all of these kid friendly establishments. If you are looking to appease the kids and try something fun yourself, give any of these a whirl:

Donut Bar: this place is downtown and is donuts on steroids. Not necessarily a fun filled adult establishment, but if you want sheer joy from your kids, this place is it. There is a bit of a line, so grab a coffee and prepare to wait a bit.

Hash House: this place is in Hillcrest (close to downtown) and takes care of everybody…BLT Bloody Mary’s + Hot Chocolates as big as your face. The food is great and the plates are as big as anything I’ve ever seen…the Andy’s Sage Fried Chicken is a must. There is a wait for this one too, so prepare yourself for hanging out for 45 minutes or so.

Corvette Diner: this one is close to downtown and is excitement for the kids all the way…straws in the hair, dancing servers, video games, but a decent bar makes it not too painful on the adults.

Draft Republic: there are 2 of these…one in La Jolla and one in Carlsbad. It is great for kids and adults with a full bar and more adult type food. It has lots of video games, ping pong, pool, etc and will keep the kids entertained for hours while you watch sports on any of the multitude of TV screens.

Urge Gastropub: there are 3 of these: one is in San Marcos, another in Oceanside and another in Rancho Bernardo. I’m speaking more to the one in San Marcos as this is the one I’ve frequented the most, but it is extremely adult friendly with more adult type food, like Draft Republic. It has bowling, outdoor games, and is a huge place.

These are the ones we find our kids enjoy the most, but if you know of something I missed, hit me up.

When I’m thinking about tasty bites to combine, the one thing I try more and more to think about is how do I bring more senses into the food I create without making a crazy hodge podge…there is a delicate balance…as the saying goes, sometimes less is more. The one thing thing that I’ve added to a multitude of different bites that adds crunch, some vegetation, and sometimes a little sour or creamy texture depending on what version I go with is coleslaw.

Shredding up cabbage is painful, but there are a plethora of store bought versions that you can use for instant dry slaw that you then just need to add something to. Depending on what I’m making and who is eating it, there are 3 recipes that I’ve stumbled on that I think are fantastic.

If I just want want a simple vinegary slaw, this one from Steven Raichlen’s BBQ Bible is my go-to…great on pulled pork or with ribs, etc.

If I want something creamier, this slaw from Tyler Florence is great as more of a side for brisket, burgers, etc. I did add some celery seed and swapped the red wine for apple cider vinegar.

And, lastly this Mexican slaw from Foodie Crush is fantastic if you want a topper for tacos, tostadas, etc.

Here are the ingredients for each (you can see how different they are just by what is in them), but for technique, please see the links:

Steven Raichlen’s BBQ Bible Slaw Ingredients:

Cabbage or coleslaw mix

5 cups distilled white vinegar

3 tbspns sea salt, or more to taste

3 tbspns sugar

3 tbspns black pepper

2 tbspns hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste

3 tbspns hot sauce (he used Tabasco, but I like Cholula as it doesn’t change the flavor the way Tabasco does, just adds heat

Tyler Florence Creamy Slaw Ingredients:

Bag shredded cabbage

1 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Drizzle extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 lemon, juiced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar or pinch

1 store-bought bag shredded slaw mix

Foodie Crush Mexican Slaw ingredients:

Packaged coleslaw mix

1/4small red onionthinly sliced

1/4cupchopped cilantro leaves

1/3cupcanola oil

2limesjuiced (about 1/4 cup)

3clovesgarlicpressed

2tablespoonshoney

1 1/2teaspoonsground cumin

1teaspoonoregano

1teaspoonground coriander

6dashes hot sauce

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

All of them are pretty quick to make and add a little something extra to whatever your main course is. Enjoy and if there are any other variations you like, let me know.